How to Avoid the Winter Blues…

We all know it can feel depressing when the days grow shorter and colder, especially when you have to go to work early in the morning.

How do we avoid the winter blues and turn the dreary period of the year into a fabulous time where you can thrive?

Here are some recommendations for thriving at work no matter what happens around you.

Do something nice for yourself each day.

Fill your own well first or you won’t have anything left to give others. Do something nice for yourself each day. It can be as simple as taking a walk with a friend at work at lunch rather than eating alone at your desk. Buy yourself flowers on the way home from work or call a supportive friend you haven’t had time to catch up with, or maybe even make a date night in the middle of the week with your spouse. Go ahead and set a boundary with someone or say “no” to a request. Keep it simple, but focus on doing one thing each day that brings you joy.

Give something to someone each day and notice the impact it has on you and others.

Give a gift to someone. Offer a word of encouragement to a colleague, surprise your spouse by cooking or cleaning up after dinner, give a gift card for coffee to someone as a thank you at work, or write a check to a charity. Volunteer for a cause you believe in or help someone in your neighborhood that needs a hand. Turn off your electronics and really be present to listen to people you are with. Extend yourself to others by focusing on what you can give, rather than on what you can get.

Start each day with a positive intention and notice what happens to your day.

Make the choice. Wake up and see the glass as half-full rather than half-empty. Start the day by deliberately setting yourself in a good direction with positive intention.

Say to yourself, “Today, I focus my attention on what’s going well, rather than on what’s broken,” or “Today I will be more patient with others,” or “Today, I will do three actions to help me meet my goal before I do anything else at work.”At the end of the day, reflect on how the day unfolded and notice the impact of setting an intention in creating the outcome you experienced.

Remember why you do what you do and take one action that helps you re-connect with your purpose and mission.

Don’t forget or ignore why you do what you do. Remember why you’ve chosen the path you are on.Think about the roles you play, both at work and at home and why you chose them. Identify the ways you help and contribute your best to the world. Express your values and passion for what you care about most deeply to people. Whatever you do, whether it’s teaching, leading, managing, healing, or advising others, do it with passion and purpose.

Whatever your reasons are for doing what you do, take one action each day that helps you feel renewed and recommitted to your passion, purpose and mission.

Excerpted from The Thriver’s Edge: Seven Keys to Transform the Way You Live, Love and Lead byDonna Stoneham, Ph.D.

Donna Stoneham, Ph.D., is a master executive coach, transformational leadership expert, facilitator, author and speaker. For the past 25 years, Donna has helped hundreds of Fortune 1000 and not-for-profit leaders, teams, and organizations create powerful business results by helping leaders lead from their core strengths, leverage their full capabilities, and unleash the potential in their teams and organizations through her innovative approach to leadership development.